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FORMER STOREHOUSE
FORMER WAR COMMISSARIAT
October 23, 2017
RUINS OF THE TENTH CENTURY CHURCH
October 23, 2017FORMER STOREHOUSE
When Austrians took over Transylvania at the end of the seventeenth century, Alba Iulia entered a new era which stands out in history for the eminently military role that the city played during those times. Then, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Austrian authorities decided to build a large bastion fortification here which turned Alba Iulia into an important military garrison.
The storehouse was the unit that collected grain and produced bread for soldiers in the bastion fortress from the 18th century. It was a supply warehouse for other kinds of food and barrack stuff as well. It was located on the eastern side of the fortress, in a massive, quadrilateral building with an inner courtyard. The southern wall of the storehouse was built right over the Roman fortress wall which was used as foundation.
According to some historians, the building has known several phases of construction over the centuries, the last important taking place in the eighteenth century. According to others, the building erected in the eighteenth century is considered to be new and one of the first and relatively few edifices built in the fortress by the Austrians to equip the garrison. The land on which it was erected must have been cleared of older buildings which had appeared on the city plans before the fortress was lifted. Also, the storehouse building appears in the current form on the plans of the architects von Weiss (1731) and Bohn (1747), proof that it was completed by that time.
Historical sources mention interesting moments when the storehouse was frequently called on during Horea’s uprising in 1784 or during the Revolution of 1848-1849, when the fortress was under protracted siege.
Currently, after refurbishment works, the storehouse building has been transformed into the Medieval Hotel.
Scientific consultant: Tudor Roșu, PhD historian
Translation made by: Ciprian Dobra, PR expert
The takeover of Transylvania by the Austrians in the late 17th century signified the start of a new era for Alba Iulia. When Viennese authorities decided to build the Alba Carolina Fortress, the city turned into a large garrison.
One unit of the imperial army in the citadel was the storehouse whose main duty was to procure flour and provide bread for the soldiers from the citadel; and, secondly, to serve as a warehouse for supplies.
Located on the eastern side of the citadel, the building where the storehouse was built was a massive one, quadrilateral in shape, with an inner courtyard. The southern wall of the storehouse is built right over the wall of the Roman castrum, which was used as a foundation. According to some historians, the edifice has had several construction phases over the centuries – the last important one took place in the eighteenth century. According to others, the building erected in the eighteenth century is considered new, one of the first and relatively few edifices built by Austrians in the fortress to provide the garrison.
The storehouse has been intertwined with history both at the time of Horea’s Uprising in 1784 and during the Revolution of 1848-1849 when the fortress was under prolonged siege.
The former storehouse was restored and refurbished, and now a five-star hotel is located here. The building has kept architectural elements of its eighteenth-century military purpose.
